


Strange Science Adventures

by angel_ponders



Series: Strange [3]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_ponders/pseuds/angel_ponders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos reluctantly takes Cecil on a science-y adventure to the pond behind the library, which has been shifting and changing at random for several days.  When Cecil gets put in possible danger, Carlos reacts strongly and the two have a heart to heart about their feelings for one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strange Science Adventures

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is part of a series. The first part is fluffy, the second part is tentacle porny, and then this part gets back to fluff. You don't have to read all of it, but if you are in this for the fluff you might want to read the first part at least.

It was a brilliantly sunny Saturday morning filled with possibilities, but Cecil somehow found himself idly lounging about in his apartment with nothing to do. The sun had only risen a few hours ago, but something told him Carlos was probably already awake and preparing for the day. That seemed to be how Carlos operated. Even if he had the desire to sleep in, experiments woke him up and mucked up his plans. 

Cecil rolled over in bed, grabbed his phone off his night stand, and texted him.

_”If you’re awake, call me?”_

Two minutes later his phone rang. _Carlos_.

“Carlos!”

“Cecil? Hey, you texted?”

“What are _you_ doing on this lovely Saturday?”

“Science,” Carlos responded, the sound of rustling papers almost drowning out his answer.

“Oh?” Cecil waited a few moments through the sound of more shuffling, but it was apparent Carlos wasn’t going to elaborate without being prompted. “What sort of science?”

“Well, the pond behind the library has been, uh, changing a lot. I noticed it was boiling yesterday.” There was more shuffling in the background, then a muffled curse. “And the day before that it was just some weird transparent sludge. I have no idea what it’ll be like today but I want to get samples and observe it for a while. You know, see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

“Do you need a hand? I have nothing else to do today.”

“Really? I’m just going to be sitting by the pond all day watching it. It’s going to be boring.”

“My dear Carlos, a day spend with you couldn’t _possibly_ be boring.”

“After five hours of sitting by a pond you might think differently.”

-

Carlos picked Cecil up and they drove to the pond behind the library together. Cecil came prepared with a blanket and snacks, though he hadn’t had time to make a lunch or anything before Carlos had arrived. But the Arby’s was just down the street from the library (usually), so Cecil wasn’t too worried. Worst case scenario he’d just grab them lunch from there. As long as he got to spend most of the day with Carlos he was satisfied. Carlos, however, was all business. He hardly acknowledged the picnic basket as he was too distracted with his own cooler and bag of miscellaneous scientific equipment.

The pond was frozen solid when they arrived and Carlos got to work immediately. He put on his rubber gloves, took out a hammer, and bashed the surface twice. When some chips separated from the ice sheet he collected several samples into individual test tubes before placing them in the cooler. As Carlos collected the samples, Cecil laid out the blanket on the nearby grass, placing his picnic basket just off to the side and sprawling out in the middle. He watched Carlos work with rapt attention, enjoying every moment of Carlos hard at work. This is why he’d fallen in love with the man, after all. Cecil admired his dedication to science.

At the beginning of the day Carlos stood by the pond waiting for changes, but as the minutes and hours ticked by he began to grow lax in his observations. He was hesitant to sit on the blanket, but he did hover near it when the second hour of observation started. By the third he was kneeling next to it as Cecil served them grapes, cheese, and crackers. Carlos had some, but he still kept his distance from anything he seemed to think was leisurely. He _was_ working after all. By the start of the fourth hour, however, he was sitting next to Cecil snacking with him as they stared at the unchanging pond.

“It’s still ice,” Cecil said with a sigh as he popped a grape into his mouth.

“Yep,” Carlos said. “And so is this.” He rattled the ice inside one test tubes before placing it back in the cooler. Cecil sighed again. “Sorry. I knew you’d get bored. I tried to warn you.”

“I’m not bored,” Cecil said with a smile. “Impatient, maybe. But how could I _possibly_ be bored when I’m with you?”

Carlos blushed and took his eyes off the pond to look at Cecil. He smiled and cupped Cecil’s cheek, stroking his face gently with his thumb. Carlos leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, sucking Cecil’s lower lip into his mouth ever so slightly while still making the kiss chaste in the way that Cecil seemed to love so much. He knew Cecils enjoyed deep passionate kisses, but he also liked the anticipation of more to come. He’d waited an entire _year_ for Carlos to make that first timid move. Carlos liked feeding that desire. His relationship experience was limited to begin with, so his bashful approach at all things physical seemed to work out well for the both of them.

When Carlos pulled back he noticed Cecil had shut all three of his eyes during the kiss. He was drawn to the way the eyelid of the third eye practically made it disappear into his forehead, but _not quite_. He knew what it looked like when Cecil made it disappear entirely. Cecil slowly opened his eyes and caught Carlos staring. Carlos coughed nervously and turned his attention back to the pond.

“You find me scientifically _interesting_ , don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, but he still patiently waited for Carlos to respond.

“Maybe a little.”

“A little?”

“Maybe _a lot_ , but I’m not going to do anything about it.” He turned back to Cecil.

“Why not?”

“I’m not going to turn my... my... my _boyfriend_ into a test subject.” 

Cecil noticeably perked up at the use of the term ‘boyfriend.’ It was the first time either of them had used the term, but Carlos’s unease about the topic of conversation made Cecil’s initial excitement dwindle rather quickly.

“What if I was willing? I love making science with you.” 

Carlos laughed at the phrasing and looked back at the pond.

“Maybe you do. But scientists shouldn’t have an emotional attachment to their test subject. It clouds the results. And besides, some things I _want_ to do aren’t exactly... pleasant.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Draw a blood sample, for example.”

“I don’t have a fear of needles.”

“It’s not just needles.”

“What else?”

“X-rays of your, uh, appendages. DNA samples.... I just... I don’t want to, okay?” He looked back at Cecil, who hadn’t yet taken his eyes off him. The look on Cecil’s face was of pure adoration and Carlos wondered what he did to earn such unabashed loyalty from the man. “I really don’t get it, Cecil. Nobody would willingly become a lab rat. Why are you so willing to do anything for me?”

“You know the answer to that.” 

Cecil leaned in and kissed him in that same adorable way. Carlos reached up and cupped Cecil’s cheek, a habit he was quickly growing fond of, and aggressively kissed him back, breaking through his bashful barrier. He explored Cecil’s mouth with his tongue, his need and _want_ for the other man quickly dominating the kiss. They were in a public place, sure, but they didn’t let that stop them. The entire town knew about there rather high profile relationship anyway and surely they’d seen stranger things than two people enjoying each others company so thoroughly. He was half tempted to just go all the way right there in the middle of the park just to see how passersby would react. _I’ve come a long way since I first arrived_ he thought to himself. _And it’s all thanks to Cecil._

His feelings for Cecil were something he had spent many long hours thinking over in his head and he still wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words. He’d been listening to the radio since he’d had his lab set up, but the very first time he heard Cecil mention him by name it included to words ‘and I fell in love with him instantly.’ It had concerned him at first and he’d hoped Cecil had just been acting facetious that evening, but the adoration continued. 

As the year went on Carlos began to develop feelings for him in return, but he couldn’t understand how Cecil felt so strongly about _him_ when they’d only ever interacted over professional business before the incident at the bowling alley. Carlos, on the other hand, felt like he knew everything about Cecil just by listening to his broadcast. Cecil didn’t seem to really hold back on the air, but Carlos very rarely told him anything personal. It seemed unbalanced somehow.

When he pulled back from the kiss he tucked a stray strand of hair behind Cecil’s ear and looked him in the two eyes that were on the same level as his own. He’d grown as accustomed to their purple hue as he has to the blue one before Cecil had revealed his inhuman qualities to him. The purple eyes were a part of who he was and Carlos loved them. He _loved_ them. _LOVE._

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. The expression must have changed because Cecil suddenly looked confused and Carlos knew he had to say something to put him at ease.

“I do too, you know,” Carlos stammered. “Love you, I mean. I do.”

“Oh _Carlos_ ,” Cecil squeaked, a smile so wide spreading across his face Carlos was almost worried he was going to split wide open. Suddenly Cecil was hugging him and Carlos nearly toppled over from the sudden weight. “Oh Carlos, Carlos, _Carlos_!”

Carlos put an arm around Cecil while still trying to maintain their upright position with the other. It felt freeing finally putting his feelings into words, but it still felt like a lot more needed to be said. But maybe.... maybe not right now. He just wanted to enjoy the moment. For once he felt like maybe things didn’t need to be critically analyzed. Maybe he could just enjoy the feeling of giddiness that was bubbling up inside of him. It was a feeling that only Cecil could inspire within him and Carlos treasured it dearly.

It was then he noticed the center of the pond had melted and in it’s place was a bubbling green mass.

“Shit,” Carlos said when he spotted it. Cecil turned around to look as Carlos stood, fumbling with his empty test tubes as he raced towards the pond. Carlos stood at the edge and watched the strange green sludge ooze from the center of the ice. After a few moments it became clear that the entire lake wasn’t going to change. Whatever was happening was isolated, oozing up from a small hole in the ice and spreading out in a puddle on the surface. “ _Shit!_ ”

Cecil placed his hand on Carlos’s back, startling him slightly, but Carlos put his head back in the game and started examining the thickness of the ice. He dropped to his knees and knocked on the surface.

“You aren’t thinking about walking on the ice,are you?”

“What choice do I have? I need to get that sample.”

“I can get it for you, you know?”

“What, and put yourself in danger instead of me?” Carlos placed his hand on the ice and put pressure on it to test it’s ability to hold his weight, but before he could begin to apply pressure a tentacle reached around and took a test tube from his coat pocket. He’d been so distracted by the task at hand he hadn’t even noticed that Cecil had manifested them. Carlos quickly grabbed the tentacle before it could make it’s way towards the mystery substance. “Cecil _wait_! Don’t!”

“Carlos, let me _help!_ ” 

Carlos looked up at Cecil and he felt instantly terrible. Cecil wanted to be useful and he was taking Carlos’s hesitance as a rejection. But that certainly wasn’t what Carlos meant by it.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, alright? Maybe we can rig a glove to fit over it or something.”

“I don’t think we have time for that. It won’t fit right. It’ll just fall off and I’ll be clumsy. _I’ll be careful._ Don’t worry.” 

Cecil was giving him puppy dog eyes. Those would be kryptonite under normal circumstances, but when there were _three_ puppy dog eyes staring at him it was downright impossible to resist.

“Alright. Fine. But be _careful_ , alright? Don’t drop it.”

“Of _course_ ,” Cecil said, pulling his tentacle out of Carlos’s grip.

Carlos popped the top off of the test tube before he could pull away entirely, but he finally let Cecil take control of the situation. He watched with bated breath as the tentacle made it’s way across the ice towards the bubbling green goo. Carlos remembered that the tentacles weren’t exactly the most dexterous appendages, but Cecil still had decent control over them. It’s grip on the test tube was tenuous at best, but it his aim was impeccable. He scooped up a small bit and begin pulling back across the ice.

“ _Yes!_ ” Carlos shouted, but then he noticed a small bit dripping down the side. “Wait _no_ Cecil drop it.”

“You said _don’t_ drop it.”

“But it’s dripping and I don’t want it to get onto you. _Cecil!_ ”

“It’s fine!”

By the time Cecil had pulled back entirely it had made contact with his tentacle. Carlos quickly capped the tube and poured a bottle of water that he had in his pocket over both the tube and Cecil’s tentacle. He grabbed onto the tentacle, took the tube out of it, and marched back over to the blanket. 

“Don’t even think about retracting that tentacle, Cecil. I have no idea what you touched and until we get back to the lab and test it I don’t want to risk it getting any further into your bloodstream. I don’t know what it is and I don’t know how you work so just no, don’t do it. Come on.”

-

Carlos had sped home with Cecil in tow and immediately began to run tests on the substance. Cecil sat by idly spinning back and forth in the office chair as Carlos frantically moved about the lab. He mixing this liquid with that liquid and doing a vast array of beautifully scientific things that Cecil didn’t really understand. Every once in awhile he’d take a small amount of his concoction and put it on a slide under the microscope. He’d twist the knobs and stare at it while making adorable ‘hmmm’ noises.

Cecil wasn’t too concerned. He’d had far stranger things on his skin before and he’d been just fine. There was that time with the sky rained huge red gelatinous blobs all over the city and he’d found himself walking home from the radio station without his umbrella. Or that one time when the entire city was covered in a strange blue haze for a week that smelled oddly like watermelon. Even when the haze dissipated he was washing blue out of his hair for almost a month. But he’d been _just fine_.

He couldn’t blame Carlos, though. He’d only been in Night Vale for a little over a year and hadn’t yet learned to roll with the punches the town frequently dealt out. Besides, his scientific curiosity was one of the things that made Cecil fall so madly in love with him. Brave, beautiful, perfect Carlos the scientist. If he wasn’t so intent on understanding the secrets of Night Vale Cecil may have just thought of him as a beautiful face with fabulous hair, but his dedication to understanding the strange town around him was alluring. Cecil was serious when he said he loved making science with him. It was part of his appeal.

“Algae!” Carlos shouted.

“Gesundheit!”

“What? No no,” Carlos said as he pulled away from the microscope. “It’s algae. The green thing that was bubbling up from the pond is just common sea algae. You’re gonna be okay!”

“I told you I would be two hours ago,” Cecil said as Carlos crossed the small space between them. Carlos took Cecil’s tentacle in his hand and placed a soft kiss to the place where the algae had touched.

“I know, but I wanted to be sure," he said, placing another sweet kiss to his skin. He looked up into Cecil's eyes and sighed. "Cecil, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I’m perfectly fine, Carlos. I _told_ you that.”

Carlos took Cecil’s face in his hands and kissed him gently on the lips. When he pulled back he continued to hold Cecil's face and locked eyes with him.

“I know that now. But I heard you that night, you know, when you thought I’d... when you thought I was dead.” Cecil’s eyes turned to the floor at that and he sighed as though he didn’t want to remember it, but Carlos turned his chin up and forced eye contact again. “That’s when I knew that your feelings for me weren’t just some crush or joke. For whatever reason, you actually love me and, well, the feeling _is_ mutual, alright? You _know_ that now.”

Cecil reached up and placed his hands over Carlos’s. He couldn’t keep the tears from welling up in his eyes at the memory of that night. It was an absolute nightmare and he never wanted to even consider imagining Carlos being in danger again. But that was the first night Carlos seemed to return his affections. They'd watched the lights above the Arby's together and Carlos had placed his hand so gently on his knee. Cecil had prepared himself for it to be an unrequited love, but everything changed when Carlos's life was put in danger.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt, Cecil. Just as much as you don’t want to see me get hurt. So if I, I don’t know, seem to be freaking out that’s why, okay?” Cecil nodded and Carlos straightened up, removing his hands from Cecil's face. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Cecil repeated.

Before Carlos could turn and walk away, all four of Cecil’s tentacles manifested and he pulled Carlos down onto his lamp. The scientist landed with an ‘oomph,’ but before he could verbalize his confusion Cecil was pulling him into a kiss. Cecil’s hands went to that perfect hair and Carlos’s cupped that adorable face and they kissed and kissed and kissed like the world would soon come crashing in around them. And in Night Vale, that was a possibility.


End file.
